Tarak Sinha: The unsung hero

Top-flight cricket is in full bloom with the IPL. Elsewhere in the merciless heat of the Capital, however, aspiring wards at the Sonnet Club are going through their paces to prepare for a gruelling season ahead.

They are not just battling the cruel summer afternoon, but are also keen to impress one person who is watching each and every move they make at the nets. For, they know of Tarak Sinha's credentials, which will have a significant bearing on their cricketing future.

If the name of the club, perhaps the most formidable in Delhi cricket, rings of an illustrious past, it owes as much to its co-founder and head coach as it does to the names it has given to the state as well as the nation.

These names include Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, Atul Wassan, Ashish Nehra and Aakash Chopra, the last of his pupils to earn a place in the Indian Test team. Even Virender Sehwag knocks a few under his keen eye, while another one of his blue-eyed boys has been making all the right noises in domestic circuit for quite a while, and now in the IPL – Shikhar Dhawan.

Ask him of his wards and he lets slip a rare smirk. "I've been lucky to have students of such quality come to me. It's not that they were blessed with sublime talent, but it's their commitment that has taken them as far as they have reached."

Blatantly modest or brutally honest one would ask. It's quite certainly the latter as he lets out Sonnet's golden coaching rule. "We embody the aspect of coaching one-on-one. When a new child comes in, we try to identify his level of skill and grade him mentally. Everyone has qualities. We just try to tap it. Match-winning abilities and talent come later," he says as he sorts out a budding trainee. "The heel should land first while going for a drive. If the toe goes first, the shot will naturally go in the air."

Into his 39th year as head coach, Tarak 'Sir' has often been referred to as the poor cousin of some of the more illustrious names in cricket's coaching circles.

The number of cricketers who have taken their formative steps under Sinha and have represented India are staggering for a city with hundreds of cricket academies. However, the coveted Dronacharya Award has surprisingly not found its way to his cabinet.

The Dronacharya is awarded on the basis of a coach's contribution over a period of three years. "The first time I applied, Ashish Nehra was one of the standout performers during the 2003 World Cup. Prior to that, the Indian women's cricket team, which I was in charge of, won 5-0 against England in an ODI series, while their overall performances during my tenure were outstanding," he recalls.

Yet, the Dronacharya award eluded him. "My son applied for me on two other occasions. But what will I show now?" he laments as silence engulfs fellow colleagues and Aakash Chopra, sitting next to him.

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Sinha has grown out of that period of personal gloom, for he has experienced a greater heartbreak before. It was 10 years ago when Raman Lamba, who he mentored for more than 25 years, was killed after being struck a severe blow on his head by a cricket ball while playing in Bangladesh.

"It took a lot of time to come to terms with the fact that it happened on the cricket field, and more to realise that he was no more," he recalls.

He may have come to terms with it, but just as his protégés returned his deeds by reaching highs, he remains obliged and humbled by their perseverance.

"Raman Lamba belonged to a very modest background. So have been many of my students. This is what made them remain grounded."

Life may not have changed for Sinha, but he has seen a dramatic new world shape in front of his eyes in these 39 years. "The lifestyle has changed so much. The habit of having things easy has consumed their commitment.

"Make no mistake; I'm all for modern coaching methods and try to keep abreast with all the new coaching techniques. But there is no substitute for the sweat and toil," he reckons.

The ways of the cricketing world have also brought with it a revolution, that being Twenty20 cricket. And for coaches like Sinha, it spells doom for the future of upcoming cricketers.

"Twenty20 has no role for coaches. In fact, even skill has no role in this format of the game. You rule by brute strength, and it will have an effect even on the grassroots level.

"I stand by my principles of desire, discipline and dedication. With the coming of this age, you won't see aspiring cricketers breaking sweat. People like Lamba, Manoj Prabhakar, Aakash Chopra came up without being exceptionally talented. Prabhakar ruled swing bowling in his time," he reasons.

Sinha's voice is one of many such who have nurtured the game with utmost dignity. He takes pride in his contribution, in his pupils who have only reiterated his importance to Delhi cricket.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill was no cricketer, but the quiet demeanor Tarak 'Sir' assures Sonnet Club of embodies this very mantra — to live by the 3D principle. The future has to respond by playing in the V.

Previous articles:

Gurcharan Singh: great master with adaptability

Dinesh Lad: The burnisher behind the scenes

Manabendra Ghosh: From coach to mentor

Achrekar 'Sir': Champion maker at dusk